Boy Scout aids police

STRATHAM — For Andrew Kirby's Eagle Scout project, it was a matter of two needs being met.

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By Scott E. Kinney

seacoastonline.com

By Scott E. Kinney

Posted Mar. 18, 2014 at 2:00 AM

By Scott E. Kinney
Posted Mar. 18, 2014 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

STRATHAM — For Andrew Kirby's Eagle Scout project, it was a matter of two needs being met.

Kirby said he began looking for a project last summer, keeping in mind he would be performing the project in colder temperatures so it would have to be performed indoors.

"I was talking to the chief (John Scippa), who also used to be the Scout Master and he was talking about how they'd love to have a place to store their gear," said Kirby.

The end result are ten wooden storage bays for officers of the Police Department to store their gear including their cruiser bags and equipment.

The work began in early January with the storage bays being completed and installed by the end of February. The challenge for Kirby was greater than he expected.

"I really didn't have any idea," he said. "I didn't realize how hard it was going to be."

Among the challenges were the cold weather, which made the polyurethaning the separate pieces difficult, as well as changing temperatures causing the wood to warp.

"I was really battling the elements," said Kirby. "When I was cutting shelves I had to recut and respace them to put them in. They look way better than I thought they would."

The Eagle Scout Service Project is to demonstrate leadership of others while performing a project for the benefit of his community. It is the culmination of the Eagle Scout candidate's leadership training, and it requires a significant effort on his part. The project must benefit an organization other than the Boy Scouts of America, but it cannot be performed for an individual or a business, be solely a fund-raising project, or be commercial in nature.

But the physical part of the project is just a part of the project. Kirby also had to keep an account of all the work, donated materials and money put into the project.

"I had to count every single dime that went into this project," he said. "Every piece of paper, all the work hours, who attended, a whole accounting of the entire project over three months."

And there was, of course, a deadline. Eagle Scout projects must be completed before the Scout reaches is 18th birthday. Kirby said he filed all his paperwork with just two days to spare, as he turned 18 on March 12.

Police Chief John Scippa said before Kirby's project the officer's equipment was "cluttered and disorganized."

"That stuff really didn't have a home," he said.

Now with the storage bays in place, officers are more easily able to access the equipment needed to do the job.

"It far exceeds my expectations," said Scippa. "We're very happy with the work he did and very appreciative."